Big Ten to realign divisions in 2014

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeApril 20, 2013

The Big Ten will replace the Legends and Leaders designations for its two football divisions with East and West divisions in 2014 when Rutgers and Maryland join the conference, ESPN.comn reported. Each division will have seven teams. The proposed Big Ten West will include the six teams located in the Central time zone -- Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin -- plus Purdue, according to the report. The proposed Big Ten East will include Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. Big Ten presidents and chancellors are expected to approve the divisions and division names in a vote next week. The Big Ten will also go to a nine-game conference schedule beginning in the 2016 season. That means each team will play the six other teams in its division and three of the seven teams in the other division. The Legends and Leaders divisions will remain for the 2013 season.